STUDENT elections were fought on less familiar grounds this year as SMS and online campaigning took some campuses by storm.
Online campaigning gave candidates the advantage of presenting their manifestos round the clock without the burden of extra costs.
Video footage also added a whole new dimension to the battle for the hearts and minds of students as they left a more lasting impression than mere speeches or written material.
While most candidates went online to post their manifestos, others chose to use that medium to vent their frustrations.
 |
IIUM deputy rector (student affairs and alumni) Hamidon Abd Hamid and rector Prof Datuk Dr Syed Arabi Idid looking at the screen that provides updates from the e-voting system |
Pro-Mahasiswa candidates of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) used their blog at
http://bmbupm.wordpress.com to question the way the elections were being conducted as well as to highlight cases where their candidates allegedly suffered physical abuse. Meanwhile, final-year Chinese Studies student Yeow Boon Pin of Universiti Malaya (UM) posted a satirical rap entitled
UMkuku on
http://um-election.blogspot.com after being disqualified for not meeting the university's CGPA requirement.
Then, 15 pro-Mahasiswa candidates were summoned to appear before a UM Student Affairs Department panel on the eve of polling as their campaign had made its way into Blogger and YouTube.
However, they were allowed to contest the next day as the situation was a grey area under the university's guidelines on campus elections.
“Although the student elections are over, this matter is still under investigation,” says deputy vice-chancellor (student affairs and alumni) Assoc Prof Dr Azarae Idris.
“Proof, or rather, the lack of it is the issue. Who should we punish if the candidate did not upload the video? Do we punish the candidate or the person who uploaded it? And how do we determine who uploaded it in the first place?”
Over at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in Gombak, an SMS spam message was allegedly received by students. According to Gerakan pro-Mahasiswa coordinator Meor Affandi Meor Abdul Aziz, the SMS was sent from an external server during the campaign period.
“The SMS asked us to vote for pro-Aspirasi candidates,” he says. “Where do they get the money to do this?”
How the senders obtained all the student numbers also remains a mystery.
Acknowledging that university rules and regulations lag behind technological advancements, Assoc Prof Azarae is of the view that much needs to be done to address the situation.
“The recent cases of SMS and online campaigning show that university laws do not cover a number of circumstances; we need to tighten the loopholes,” he says.
While university authorities fret over the inadequacy of election regulations, others see it differently.
“It is clear that students are moving faster than the universities,” says Assoc Prof Dr Azmi Sharom from UM. “Their initiative and creativity should be lauded.”
Meanwhile, the merits of e-voting continue to be hotly debated. While it enables university authorities to do away with ballot counting, it falls short in terms of transparency.
“The system should be dropped because the lack of transparency presents opportunities for abuse,” says Assoc Prof Azmi.
“Student elections should be conducted by respected neutral parties such as the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia.”
IIUM, UPM, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia are some of the universities that use e-voting.
No comments:
Post a Comment